two weeks ago and after a bit of more than 8 years I clocked the 200,000 kms on my E63 S211 AMG. Just wanted to share some experiences and a warning to you guys (just be aware, that I drive the car a bit different here on the Autobahn, so I guess the stress in Oz is not that extreme):

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To summarise it: It is still the second-best and most unreasonable decision of my life! As a daily driver used for business, every single kilometre was just fun, especially since the penis-extension-exhausts were removed. It's just not comparable to a turbo motor, when you have 6.3 litres which start at around 1,100 rpm and you switch gear again at 7,200 rpm!

Pros and Cons:
Very reliable, main repairs were a rear diff @ 80,000, the motor hood cable got stuck once, and one cat had to be replaced. I had a noise from the servo pump which required a replacement. All the electronics incl. dynamic & electric seats, command, telephone, linguatronic, etc. etc. worked fine, no probs.

An oil analysis at 180,000 kms turned out to be perfect, hardly any particles.

Oil consumption was constant from the beginning; between 0.2 and 0.25 litres / 1,000km. Fuel consumption was between 10.2 and 23 litres with an average of 16.3 litres overall. Not bad for a 2-ton-station-wagon driven at the limit most of the times.

Surprisingly, brake discs at the front were only changed every 50,000kms, at the rear at 150,000kms (some people have them done at 20,000kms). Typres at the back around 20,000 kms (which is good too, as there are specialists acc. to my dealer who need some every 7,000kms).

Cost: Driving an AMG (or a 6.3 or a 6.9 ...) is just expensive. As a private person I wouldn't drive that car. ONE front brake disc is already over 800 Euros. Total cost of all inspections and repairs: 25,700 Euros, Tyres 10,500 Euros.

Summary: It's absolutely fun, but VERY expensive. Don't buy a used one with a small budget, it eats you up. I took really care of the car, never used the power until the oil was properly heated up etc. etc.

With my best regards
Thomas

P. S.: At kilometre zero:

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Thanks for posting, Thomas. Always very interesting to get real world figures, even if not directly translatable to our local setting. Still, EUR 4,500 per annum isn't bad at all, although of course depreciation and interest have to be factored in. Less the short-haul airline tickets you didn't have to buy, and your time not wasted to/from/at airports!

Mind you, the depreciation on lots of cars is horrifying but if it's tax deductible....

Time is money Tomas.
How much time did you save by not hanging around airports and paying for taxis back and forth?
How much in airfares was saved?
And then you had the use of your own vehicle without paying for hire cars or taxis.

And then the enjoyment of a very capable driving car on capable roads.

I have to use the car because most of the time I have too much material to transport. Whenever possible I use the train and the plane. We have a pretty good system of high speed trains here ... and you can work while travelling. That's one reason, why I only made around 25,000 kms/year; in the past I came up to 35-40,000 kms ... my E320 I sold after 3.5 years with 150,000kms ...

I'm also not complaining about the money; the fun was worth it. I just want to send out a warning to - especially young - guys, who think a used AMG is so cheap ... it's not. It's those guys who post questions in forums like "I found the AMG brake disc on ebay for a third of the price, is it any good?"

Regards
Thomas

P. S.: One of the best stories ever with that car: we had an Aussie couple over here. We made a day long tour and drove back at night. My wife and I thought, they were asleep in the back, the Autobahn was empty, so I said to my wife, let's try the 300km/h. We made it to the max, not knowing, that they probably prayed a lot ... 9 months later we met in Melbourne and that story came up. He said, that he told friends in Melbourne that story, i. e. driving 300km/h. His words were "I saw their minds working ... 100 ... 200 ... 300 ... shaking their heads and couldn't believe it

Just proves that if a car is properly maintained the km shouldn't be a concern.

It's funny you mentioned the ebay thing.

I recall not long ago someone complaining about the cost of brake pads and rotors for AMG vehicles.

Sure, they're whingeing bastards - most of the time they are exactly as you said... cheapskates.
I guess prevention of a potential fatality isn't worth that much money..... so they buy used parts from a wrecker.

This mentality is especially prevalent in certain demographic location strip that stretches form arncliffe to liverpool.